Todd Solondz's films are like tests: At what point does the human quality of Abe's suffering -- as he undergoes a cascade of misfortune -- overtake your distaste for him as a person and push you to feel empathy?

I've been a fan of Todd Solondz's dark, even mean-spirited brand of humiliation comedy since Welcome to the Dollhouse, and the squirmy problems of his put-upon heroine, Dawn Weiner. But he lost me with Life During Wartime.